The Usual Place Podcast: Afraid of small talk? Scared to make a phone call? How social skills workshops are helping young people
Find out why some Gen Zs are turning to social skills workshops.
If the first part of the headline has you nodding, then this episode of The Usual Place podcast is for you.
Some young adults are struggling with everyday conversations and other basic forms of social interaction.
Whether it's making small talk with strangers, holding eye contact, or just answering a phone call (just text me please!), Gen Zs and millennials are declaring that dealing with other people isn't always their vibe.
They need help to fix their awkwardness.
That's where the School of Yapping by social impact organisation Friendzone comes in, reported The Straits Times in July. Over four workshops, participants aged 20 to 35
practise how to be 'confident, connected, and comfortable' talking to others.
In this episode of The Usual Place, I will chat with Tham Jun Han, the 32-year-old co-founder of Friendzone; Nur Haziqah Mohd Yazib, a 25-year-old case worker who took part in the workshop recently; and Savanna Tai, a 22-year-old university student who has had to change the way she communicates as she wants to become a journalist.
We discuss why social interactions are harder now for young adults than ever before, whether the Covid-19 pandemic made things worse, and what we stand to lose if we don't find a way to connect again.
Tune in at 12pm SGT/HKT to watch the stream, and share your thoughts.
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Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
BTO income ceiling, age floor for singles being reviewed: Chee Hong Tat
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said a continued strong supply of BTO flats is needed to make any changes to the eligibility conditions for flat buyers. SINGAPORE – The income ceiling for couples applying for Build-To-Order (BTO) flats, as well as the minimum age of 35 for singles purchasing flats, is being reviewed, and changes to these policies – if any – will depend on upcoming flat supply and demand, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat. Speaking to local media outlets on Aug 5, when he laid out some of his ministry's priorities, Mr Chee said a continued strong supply of BTO flats is needed to make any changes to the eligibility conditions for flat buyers. To this end, he said 55,000 BTO flats will be launched between 2025 and 2027 – 10 per cent more than the Government's previous supply commitment of 50,000 flats over the same period. Apart from potential changes to public housing policies, Mr Chee also made announcements on plans to enliven commercial spaces, as well as improve the maintenance of private estates. Eligibility conditions for flat buyers On BTO eligibility conditions that exclude couples who currently exceed the $14,000 income ceiling, as well as singles who are not aged 35 yet, from applying for flats, Mr Chee said these are still being reviewed. 'I want to assure Singaporeans that we are reviewing both income criteria and also the age requirement for singles, and at an appropriate time, we do intend to make some moves,' he said. 'But I want to make sure that when we make those moves, we will not end up with a situation where there's insufficient supply,' he added, noting that the Government has worked very hard to ease the BTO supply crunch caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, when many applicants were not able to choose flats, or faced a very long wait for their new homes. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 55,000 BTO units to be launched from 2025 to 2027, will help moderate HDB resale prices: Minister Singapore Over 118,000 speeding violations in first half of 2025; situation shows no signs of improvement: TP Singapore Israel's plan to step up Gaza offensive dangerous and unacceptable: MFA Singapore Four men arrested in Bukit Timah believed to be linked to housebreaking syndicates Singapore Criminal trial of Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and five others starts Aug 11 Singapore Why some teens cook despite Singapore's da bao culture Singapore Man arrested over hacking attempt on RedeemSG portal Singapore 'We could feel the heat from our house': Car catches fire in Bidadari area From 2021 to 2024, 82,710 BTO flats were launched – more than 20,600 per year on average – while about 19,600 are slated to be launched in 2025, with 10,579 launched thus far. Mr Chee said demand for new flats remains strong, including from young couples who want to own their own home while also living near their parents, instead of the whole family living in the same flat – a practice more common in the past. Whether the income ceiling for couples and the minimum age for singles can be adjusted depends on the supply that can be introduced over the next few years, said Mr Chee. 'Because you can imagine, if we lower the age limit for singles, or if we raise the income threshold, there will be more applicants who qualify and therefore demand will go up,' he said, adding that this demand cannot be met without a strong supply of BTO flats. 'I think it's important for us to create the right conditions to be able to make these policy moves at an appropriate time.' Only when there is sufficient supply to meet increased flat demand can the income ceiling for couples, or age threshold for singles, be tweaked, he said. Business improvement districts The Ministry of National Development will propose new legislation to formalise the Business Improvement District (BID) model, said Mr Chee. This follows a successful pilot by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) that has been ongoing since 2017. Under the BID programme , private-sector property owners and businesses take collective ownership of the precincts they operate in, by pooling funds for marketing, hospitality and organising events. Under the pilot BID programme, businesses in each participating precinct had to develop a multi-year business plan and contribute funds to roll out programmes. To kick-start the programme, the government offered support by matching every membership dollar raised dollar-for-dollar, up to a cap of $500,000 per annum. Four BIDs are still active – in Marina Central (from January 2020), Tanjong Pagar (from September 2019), the Singapore River (from April 2017) and Raffles Place (from January 2020) – while a BID for Marina Bay called the Marina Bay Alliance operated from January 2020 to December 2023. Programmes organised include the Singapore River Festival by Singapore River One, and District M, a pop and electronic music festival by the Marina Central BID. Mr Chee said the Government hopes that formalising the BID model will result in more BIDs being set up across Singapore. He added that the new laws will leverage the established BID framework and safeguards to allow commercial property owners to self-organise and form their own BIDs. In turn, commercial precincts are expected to be livelier with the insertion of new programmes. He said one sector that could be revitalised by the BID model is the nightlife industry . URA said the Government is aiming to enact the BID legislation within the next two years. Change-of-use applications To shorten regulatory processes and lower costs for some businesses, the Government is working on streamlining processes such that applications to URA will no longer be required. Currently, businesses need to obtain URA's permission for change of uses within commercial spaces in JTC business parks and community centres managed by the People's Association (PA) – a process that takes about two weeks and costs $500. URA's permission is also required for land-based solar farm projects, and comes with a $3,500 application fee. Mr Chee said the Government is working towards no longer requiring URA's permission to be granted in both these instances. URA said the rule tweaks regarding change of use will apply to 'selected commercial uses in PA's community centres' – for instance, changing a shop to a gym. The agency said JTC and PA will assess and administer proposals for authorised commercial uses on their respective premises, and work directly with tenants on operational matters. As for the rule changes for land-based solar farms, URA said they will apply to those to be set up on state and statutory board-owned land. 'The respective land owner agencies would have already obtained URA's upstream land use approval for the land-based solar projects,' said the agency. URA said the streamlined processes are expected to be implemented in 2026. Private estate maintenance Noting that both public and private estates in Singapore are ageing, Mr Chee said the Government is reviewing the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act to better enable management corporation strata titles (MCSTs) to upgrade their developments. This comes on the back of a growing number of condominium developments grappling with deteriorating infrastructure and insufficient sinking funds to carry out major repair and replacement works. In addition, Mr Chee said that in line with Age Well SG – a national programme to support seniors to age well in their homes and their communities – the Government will study how the Building and Construction Authority's Accessibility Fund can better support MCSTs. The fund provides grants to building owners to upgrade their existing buildings with essential accessibility features, such as ramps, wheelchair-friendly lifts and accessible carpark spaces. Studies are still at the early stage, said Mr Chee.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
First voluntary redevelopment projects for HDB flats likely to be launched in first half of 2030s
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said that the public will be consulted on the Vers framework in this term of Government. SINGAPORE – The Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (Vers) for Housing Board flats will likely begin with a few sites in the first half of the 2030s, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat in a long-awaited update on the scheme. Looking ahead, the Government will focus its efforts on Vers, with no plans for further projects under the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers), he told local media outlets in an interview on Aug 5. Mr Chee also gave an update on Home Improvement Programme II, or HIP II, which refers to the second round of upgrades that HDB flats will undergo , to last flat owners till the end of their 99-year lease. Under both Sers and Vers, the Government takes back flats before the end of their 99-year lease to redevelop them and meet housing needs. While Sers is a compulsory scheme, which gives the Government full discretion on which HDB precincts to redevelop, Vers will involve home owners of selected precincts aged about 70 and up choosing if they want their homes to be acquired by the Government for redevelopment, before their leases run out. Under Sers – which began in 1995 – home owners are compensated based on the market value of their flats when a project is announced. The latest Sers project, which is currently ongoing, involves Blocks 562 to 565 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and was announced in April 2022. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 55,000 BTO units to be launched from 2025 to 2027, will help moderate HDB resale prices: Minister Singapore Over 118,000 speeding violations in first half of 2025; situation shows no signs of improvement: TP Singapore Israel's plan to step up Gaza offensive dangerous and unacceptable: MFA Singapore Four men arrested in Bukit Timah believed to be linked to housebreaking syndicates Singapore Criminal trial of Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and five others starts Aug 11 Singapore Why some teens cook despite Singapore's da bao culture Singapore Man arrested over hacking attempt on RedeemSG portal Singapore 'We could feel the heat from our house': Car catches fire in Bidadari area The terms of Vers have not been finalised. Mr Chee on Aug 5 set out the timeline for its implementation, in the first significant update since Vers was announced at the 2018 National Day Rally . 'In this term of government, our aim is to develop and flesh out the Vers framework,' said Mr Chee, who took office in May following the general election. The next election must be called by 2030. This includes 'setting parameters to identify possible Vers sites, ensuring sufficient homes are ready in time for residents who are involved in Vers to relocate to, and working out a fair package for Vers residents', he said. 'Unlike Sers, which involves precincts with high redevelopment potential, there is less financial upside to Vers, because the flats will be older, and hence the terms will be less generous,' he added. Mr Chee said that before Vers is launched in the 2030s, the authorities will seek Singaporeans' views and feedback on the scheme. He noted that Vers is a 'very long-term, very complex policy that will not only have to be fair to the current generation of flat owners, but must also be financially sustainable for future generations'. Once the public consultation is over, Vers will start 'with a few selected sites', said Mr Chee, adding that this will likely take place in the first half of the 2030s. 'We will continually review our processes as we go along, and progressively scale up Vers by the late 2030s,' he said. 'Our plan is to progressively offer Vers to selected estates in different parts of Singapore.' Referencing then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's 2018 rally speech, in which he explained that Vers will need to be implemented in stages, Mr Chee said the redevelopment of Singapore's older estates will have to take place in a 'measured and considered way'. Several older estates were rapidly built up in the 1970s and 1980s to meet the urgent housing demand then, Mr Chee noted. Should the leases of flats in these estates be allowed to run their full course, many residents will need to be relocated, and many homes built within a short time in the 2070s and 2080s. 'This will be very disruptive to residents who are staying in these towns,' he said, adding that it will hence be better for redevelopment to take place progressively over two to three decades. Examples of towns built in the 1970s and 1980s include Marine Parade, Ang Mo Kio and Bedok. Some of Singapore's oldest flats on 99-year leases were completed as early as in 1962, making them 68 years old in 2030. These flats are located in areas such as Tanjong Rhu, Tiong Bahru and Dakota. Block 6 Jalan Batu was completed in 1962, and its 99-year lease began on 1969. PHOTO: LIANHE WANBAO Mr Chee said that ideally, new flats for residents of Vers projects will be built not too far from their existing homes. Their existing precinct can then be redeveloped, and used to build new homes for residents of a subsequent Vers project, he said. 'That's why you need to do this in stages, to avoid this massive disruption to the entire town, especially in towns where there are many, many flats that are about the same age,' said Mr Chee. Home Improvement Programme II On HIP II, Mr Chee said works undertaken will be more extensive than the current HIP, which takes place about 30 years after flats are built and includes improvements such as upgraded toilets and repairs to spalling concrete. He said this is because flats will undergo HIP II at the 60- to 70-year mark. These older units hence require more work. For instance, said Mr Chee, the corrosion-resistant repair method that was rolled out for spalling concrete repairs under HIP in 2024 will be adopted 'more extensively for older flats undergoing HIP II'. New solutions that are not currently in HIP will also be explored for HIP II, he said. Mr Chee cited new detection technologies, such as using microwave scanning to identify concrete spalling that cannot be seen from the surface, or to narrow down the path of water seepage. He added that HDB has used this technology in some real-life cases, and is currently analysing results so that it can be used for HIP II. Mr Chee said HIP II and Vers are not mutually exclusive – meaning flats could undergo HIP II and subsequently be offered Vers. As Vers projects will be spread out over two to three decades, there may still be a need for flats to undergo HIP II when they are around 60 years old, so they remain liveable until they are redeveloped under Vers – should they come under the scheme, he said. More details on HIP II will be announced at the next Budget debate in 2026, he added.
AsiaOne
3 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Government looking at lowering HDB flat eligibility age for singles, raising income ceiling for couples, families: Chee Hong Tat, Singapore News
The Government is looking at the possibility of raising the eligibility income ceiling for couples and families, as well as lowering the age at which singles can apply for a new Housing Board (HDB) flat, Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat has said. In his first sit-down interview with the local media on Aug 5 since his appointment as minister, Chee said that any such changes will depend on whether there is an adequate supply of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats to meet the anticipated increase in demand. The current BTO income ceiling for families and married couples is $14,000 a month, while singles must be at least 35 years old to be eligible to purchase public housing. Chee said that lowering the age limit for singles, as well as raising the income ceiling will lead to more Singaporeans qualifying to buy a BTO flat, causing the demand to go up. 'Without a strong supply of BTO flats, we will not be able to meet this new demand… it's important for us to create the right conditions to be able to make these policy moves,' he said. Speaking at his ministry's Budget debate in March, Chan's predecessor Desmond Lee said that the Government would continue to keep an eye on income growth and conditions in the local property market, and will raise the income ceiling 'when the time is right'. Lee added that the current BTO income ceiling 'still covers about eight to 10 Singaporean households', adding that new flats 'are prioritised for those who need them more' such as lower-to-middle-higher income families. The last changes to the income ceiling was in September 2019, when it increased from $12,000. As for amending the eligibility conditions for singles, the July BTO exercise saw first-timer singles being granted priority access when they buy a two-room flexi flat near or with their parents. The Ministry of National Development has since announced that 55,000 BTO units will be launched from 2025 to 2027, bringing the total of new flats to around 102,300 new flats from 2021 to 2025. This exceeds its target of 100,000 flats. Chee was asked on a timeline on when the policy changes will come into effect, and whether more than 50,000 new flats in the next three years constitutes an 'appropriate' condition. He said he does not want to 'prematurely make any commitment that we are not ready to do so'. 'I want to make sure that when we make those moves, we will not end up with a situation where there's insufficient supply,' he added. 'That will bring us back to the not-so-good situation we faced during Covid-19, where a lot of applicants may not be able to get their flats, or may have to wait a long time.' Chingshijie@
